"Watch out!" A voice called out.
A young player managed to jump out of the way of an incoming attack from a gallant gargoyle. The creature suddenly roared and from its back erupted thousands of bats. Most of them flew away but a few remained as general annoyances. The gargoyle was quickly cut down in it's moment of vulnerability, and the boss fight came to an end.
"Whew! That was close." One friend said to another.
"Almost did a number on us." They replied.
"Ow!" The third player was just a few steps away when he touched hand to his neck.
A bat could be seen flapping into the sky as the male player stumbled towards his friends.
"Oliver! Are you okay?" The two friends were about to assist him when suddenly the player hunched over.
His muscles started to tense and a faint growling could be heard coming from him.
"Oliver?" One friend asked while they both took a step back.
The male players nails suddenly sharpened themselves and he looked up at them with a hiss. The player's eyes were black and bloodshot, his veins were clearly visible thru his pale skin and his teeth were now adorned with vicious fangs.
We found ourselves entering the Cat Sith city, located on the Western part of Alfheim connected via bridge. We made our way across it, passing many others on horseback, carriage or other interesting mounts. We passed many Cat Sith players as well as a few others before eventually passing thru the large golden gates of the kingdom. We entered the city town square and looked on at a golden statue of the Cat Sith queen raising a sword.
"That's certainly indicative of her." I pointed out as we walked around it.
"Very Alicia." K chuckled.
"You!" A female voice shouted.
K and I both turned to look when he was suddenly slapped in the face by an orange haired cat woman.
"Ow." K rubbed his cheek and looked to her.
"Ha!" Another Cat Sith chick with pink hair this time slapped K across his exposed other cheek.
"What- Hey! What's the deal?" K tried to cover up his other cheek but was suddenly socked in the stomach.
"Serves you right for showing your face here again!" The last dark purple haired cat girl was fuming as she crossed her arms in front of the other two.
"Ladies... I know I've done wrong in the past, but-"
"You've done more than wrong! What you did is deplorable!" Yelled the orange one.
"Look, I was young and stupid. I didn't really know any better." K tried to explain.
"Save it. We know you don't feel sorry." The pink one scoffed.
"I most certainly do. I never wanted things to end up as they did." K apologized.
"No, you just wanted us all at the same time." The purple one rolled her eyes.
"I didn't rule it out..." K admitted.
One by one, they each slapped him across the face again.
"I deserve that." K accepted.
"You're lucky the queen is so enthralled by you." The orange one booped his nose as she walked off.
"I hate seeing your face, but I'm glad you're back." The pink one touched his cheek that was still stinging red before leaving too.
The last one watched the others walk away before stepping close to him.
"If you ever get bored, let me know. I still have an itch only you can scratch." The purple one hushed in his ear before giving me a look and trotting away.
K just let out a disappointed and defeated sigh.
"What was that about?" I crossed my arms, awaiting a worthy explanation.
He turned nervously, a face riddled with blush. Or it was still red from being slapped so hard.
"I have a criminal record here in Cat Sith city. It's... not the most savory crime to admit." K rubbed the back of his head.
"What did you do?" Asuna was curious.
"Yeah, you never explained it before." Leafa was equally invested.
"It's actually been a looming question for some time." Kirito crossed his arms too and we all looked to K.
He just cracked a weak smile.
"I uhh... I may or may not have been selling myself to make an easy profit..." K reluctantly admitted.
"You what!?" Everyone was in complete shock.
"That's messed up, K!" Leafa shouted.
"How can you do something like that?" Asuna was appalled.
"Seems pretty low." Kirito agreed.
"Did you at least have a reason?" Liz was a little more accepting.
"The Cat Sith population is mostly girls, which is no real surprise. So when I was beginning and I rolled into town, I found that I was a very hot commodity. Not many players with my looks ever passed thru here, so I found a way to make a quick buck off of it. Sadly, it became outlawed and I had to continue undercover. Once I was found out, I just fled and never came back. I matured in that time of course, and now this is all just a major inconvenience." K explained.
"Sounds like a smart business plan." Liz understood.
"You're seriously commending him for this?" Kirito was caught off guard.
"A buck's a buck." Liz shrugged at him.
"Not to mention all the business he'd be getting." I knew all too well how attractive my husband was.
"It's understandable, yea. But does that make it right?" Kirito brought into question.
"It's one of the oldest professions in the world." K shrugged, knowing that fact wouldn't necessarily justify things.
"He is right about that." Asuna affirmed.
"You can't do it now tho, right?" Liz made sure we were all on the same page.
"Liz, I'm married. I can't set up shop again just for you." K joked.
"Yea right. Your rates are probably inflated anyway." Liz poked back.
"Like I said, I'm a hot commodity." K checked his nails.
"Shouldn't we talk to Alicia Rue? Maybe get your name cleared?" Asuna suggested.
"I'm sure that can be arranged." K smiled.
We continued thru the city, very reminiscent of roman architecture. The roads were cobblestone, the buildings were mesa styled and built into one another, the structures towered and spanned. With the large Cat Sith population, most were forced to live on top of each other but it never bothered anyone. As we traversed, K was leading the charge and was being recognized at every turn. It was starting to become overwhelming. I was kind of concerned.
"Hey! Black Bear is back!" Yelled one cat girl.
"Really?" Another replied.
"No way!" A third couldn't believe it.
They started to leak out from housing and alleys to swarm K in front of us.
"You still owe me from last time!" I heard one needy chick announce as the commotion grew.
"Ladies! Please! I'm married!" K yelled to the crowds.
"You're what!?" One was in shock.
"That can't be." Another didn't believe him.
"Not until I tame you." One was eager.
"Hey! Watch it!" K was trying to push thru but there were hands all over him.
"Where you headed anyway?" One took his arm.
"We could accompany you there." Another took his other arm.
"Kieran!" I tried to get his attention.
He peeked back over his shoulder at me but was swept away.
"Shino!" He tried to yell back but he was getting further away.
I was about to take a purposeful step into the crowd but a purple haired cat chick stopped me.
"There's a queue, wait your turn." She sneered and skipped to join the advancing crowd.
That blew a fuse in my brain. I could feel a vein on my forehead form as I clenched my fists at my sides.
"You okay, Sinon?" Kirito asked.
I just stormed forward and with each step, my ice began to travel ahead. The crowd was immediately flash frozen and I made my way thru the icy masses. I felt their gaze on me as I simply incapacitated them to get to my husband. He was the only one not frozen, but the two cat girls on his arms had frozen onto him. I got in front of them and offered my hand. He just smiled and smoothly pulled his arms from the girls grips. K took my hand and I immediately hung off his arm.
"You're the only Cat Sith queen I see." K smiled at me.
"Damn right." I felt an intense boost of confidence as I looked back at what I had done.
Kirito and the others began to pass thru, ducking underneath frozen arms and between dense figures. They caught up and we eventually came to what looked like a tower or bastion. We entered and found a spiral staircase that spanned the outside walls while the middle of the tower was empty all the way up to the top. K stepped to the center first, looked up and opened his wings before launching instantly up to the top floor. The rest of us followed suit and we joined K as he knocked on the door.
"Queen Alicia? It's K and the gang." He announced.
She pulled the door open a second later.
"How nice to see you! Come on in." She stepped back and graced us inside.
We were presented with a wooden round table draped in a particularly stitched yellow cloth on top. Most found seats but a few just stood in parts of the room. Many open windows allowed a glorious view of both the Cat Sith city below, and the oceanic horizon of the west.
"What brings you around, Spriggan King?" She royally addressed.
"I was actually wanting to finally clear my name here in your kingdom. I know my record is... unsavory." K tried to be light about it.
"You mean your prostitution charges? Sorry, K. You're gonna have to serve your time like everyone else." Alicia crossed her arms and shook her head.
"There must be something we can do." I vocalized.
"Hmm... I'm sure I can arrange some community service to abolish the charges." Alicia pondered.
"Is this because I didn't take up your marriage proposal?" K asked out of nowhere.
"What?" Everyone else asked.
"Hey now, that was your plead deal." Alicia tried to defend.
"Only the instigator can provide a plead deal." K spoke of the rules.
"Yea, yea. You weren't supposed to remember that." Alicia smirked.
"What are you on about?" Kirito was curious.
"In order to relinquish the charges I had received, Alicia wanted a service from me free of charge with the addition of official marriage." K cleared the air.
"That was your plead deal?" I asked her.
"It was the only way I could think of freely abolishing his charges without legal trouble. I know it sounds bad now, but it made sense at the time." Alicia defended.
"This whole thing sounds bad." Kirito shook his head.
"Grow a pair, Kirito." K brushed off.
"It is one of the oldest professions in the world." Alicia added.
"That's what I said!" K exclaimed.
"What would be the community service?" I asked.
"Hmm... I think it would fit best to reimburse those who have payed for your services. We know you have the gold, and it might be seen as a kind way of apologizing." Alicia came up with.
"All?" K asked with emphasis.
"All." Alicia crossed her arms.
K just dropped his head with a shake.
"And they have to appreciate it, not just accept it. Whatever they have to do to feel better, let them do it." Alicia was clear.
"Seriously?" K was just annoyed.
"It's that or jailtime." Alicia shrugged.
"I don't suppose I have much choice." K reluctantly agreed, weakly putting his palms up.
"Good. I've compiled an easy list for you to follow." Alicia pressed on her inventory and fabricated a thick hardcover book.
It hit the desk with a heavy slam which left the group to look at K.
"We're gonna be here awhile..." He could feel our stare.
"Then we better get started." I stated.
We made our way to the ground floor and stood in front of the building as K cracked opened the book.
"Where to first?" Lizbeth wondered.
K flipped a few pages before scanning the contents with his finger.
"This way." K disbanded the book and led the way.
We only turned one main corner before K raised his hand up for a wave.
"Hey! Koneko!" He addressed a white haired cat girl with two tails and a school girl outfit.
She turned, frowned and approached before slapping K across the face.
"Jerk." She stated simply.
"I've been getting that a lot. I'd like to personally reimburse you for your generous patronage. Think of it as a thank you for taking an interest in me." K rubbed his cheek and explained.
"You're offering paybacks now?" She tilted her head as K sent her a sum of credits to which she accepted.
"Yea, well, I've gotta scrub my record now that I'm royalty." K shrugged.
"Rags to riches, quite literally." She commented.
"We've all gotta start somewhere. Take care." K graced and nodded as he walked ahead.
We joined him and proceeded further along the road.
"Ms. Belladonna! How nice to see you again." K addressed.
A black haired girl looked at him before peeking around with a bit of panic. Her black cat ears turned down from embarrassment and her face flushed red as he approached. The rest of us just stayed a ways back to not be noticed as much.
"Hey, K..." She reluctantly greeted as she played with her hair.
"Good to see your outfit style hasn't changed. You can come clean for me any day." K winked, making small talk as he referred to her maid themed apparel.
"Yea... I remembered you liked it." She twiddled her hair some more, looking away flustered.
"And I remember how nice you were to me. Here, this is to repay what you've spent. I've ended my life of frivolity in favor of one of good fortune." K explained in his usual dramatic way, sending her the credits.
"Do you not need this? Is there not some cause this could go to?" She asked selflessly with the screen in front of her.
"Not at all. That's rightfully yours, Ms. Belladonna. Farewell." K graced as he walked past her.
We followed suit subtly, slipping smoothly between swarming streets.
"Who's next on our list?" Lizbeth asked.
"A personal favorite of mine." K stated as we continued.
"I don't think you should be saying that in this context..." Kirito didn't like the implications.
We rounded another corner onto a quiet side alley and tucked between two buildings was a woman who looked around curiously.
"Hi MoMo!" K greeted happily.
"K!!" She exclaimed and sprinted at him.
Before any interaction could be had, the brown haired cat girl pounced and latched onto K who barely kept himself upright. She was clamped onto him so tight that it seemed like K was gonna buckle from the pressure increase alone.
"It's so good to see you again." K patted her back gently, not even holding her up for support.
"I missed you so much!!" MoMo's tail wagged rapidly with excitement.
"I missed you too, MoMo. How have you been?" K asked as the girl dropped off of him.
"I've been great! I was hoping I'd see you again!" Her tail continued to swiftly sway and her eyes glistened a bit.
"Yea? I do enjoy running into you." K swiped open his inventory to type in a credit amount.
"Well then, let me treat you by taking care of your-" MoMo stepped closer but was halted by the message pop up.
"This will unfortunately be the last time we meet like this. I've married now and I am very much happy." K explained after closing his menu.
"What?? But that means we won't have playtime anymore..." MoMo pouted.
"Oh, don't be sad, MoMo. I'm sure we can still hangout from time to time." K suggested.
"Yay!! I'll be sure to visit lots!" MoMo bounced happily, causing her chest to jiggle too.
"I'd like that. I'll see you around, cheetah." K pet her hair and began to walk on.
"Hehe.~" MoMo's face went red and her tail wagged like crazy as we walked by.
"She doesn't seem like your type." I pointed out as we regrouped.
"Ehh, most aren't. I'm a sucker for the cat ears tho." K admitted.
"I'll say. We're not even halfway thru your list." Liz pointed out.
"We're getting there." K chuckled.
"Does this not bother you, Sinon?" Leafa was simply curious.
"Nah. It was before me and it's not like he can contract an STD or anything." I turned to walk backwards for a moment.
"Guess you make a good point there." Kirito couldn't help but see the merit.
"Oh man. Imagine the kinds he would have were they in the game." Lizbeth made everyone laugh.
"And they'd be magical too. I'd probably have some sort of cat disease." K chuckled.
"Haha! Yea! Like an itchy fur crotch!" Liz giggled.
"I'm thinking it would be called Pussyfoot." K enjoyed his play on words.
It made everyone laugh more. Ahead of us was another cat girl who had bleach blonde hair and a puffy tail protruding from beneath her dress. Her uniquely styled outfit darted into a shadowy alleyway to which K called out.
"Hey! Gal!" He waved but she didn't even react.
She disappeared into the alley and K sped up a bit to follow her. We were just behind him as we passed the mouth of this shady alleyway. Her bright blonde hair could be clearly seen at the end of the dark path but she was facing the wall.
"Galia?" K asked her and went to touch her shoulder.
He made contact which made her immediately snap turn to all of us. Her eyes were feral and dilated significantly as she roared with prominent fangs. She gripped his wrist and dug her razor sharp nails into him. He pushed her and stepped back which initiated a much more combative sequence.
"Something's wrong with her." K noticed.
I stepped forward past him and attempted a calming approach.
"We can help you." I held my hand out for her to take.
To my surprise however, she gripped my wrist, yanked it close and sunk her teeth into my forearm.
"Agh!" I instantly backhanded her off me, pushed her head against the wall and sliced it off at the base of her neck with a frost blade.
Her body quickly burst into shards as I focused to address my current wounds. I raised my arm up and looked at the two teeth marks, both of which were becoming a swollen purple.
"Are you okay?" K asked, coming to care for me afterwards.
"I'll be alright." I assured, not taking my eyes off my injury.
The skin around the inflicted area began to pulsate a bit. I grew increasingly concerned as a realistic pain set in.
"Ow!" I genuinely felt and almost dropped to my knees.
"Shino!" My friends all worried.
"Come on, let's sit you down." K softly gripped my arm to try and assist me.
I simply brought my eyes to his and my vision began to turn red. I felt many tears well up in my eyes as I consciously understood what was happening to me.
"Forgive me, K..." I could only think.